Lamborghini’s ‘New World’ May Be a Hybrid

After taunting us for weeks with teaser pics of the four-seater it’s bringing to the Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini has pulled the wraps of the Estoque and suggested it could be — get this — a hybrid.

That’s right, a hybrid. The company that last spring said it couldn’t possibly meet Europe’s tightening emissions rules may jump on the gas-electric bandwagon with a car it’s been saying "is not just a new Lamborghini. It’s a whole new world." Sant’Agata insists the car is just a concept at this point — though everything it says suggests the car will be built — but makes it clear it takes the company in a new direction.

"It is a concept that provides a clear indication of the future," the company says. "This applies to the new, elegant self-confidence of the lines themselves, but even more to the concept of the vehicle."

Lamborghini calls the Estoque an "everyday sports car," albeit one that will probably carry a $200,000 price tag, that combines the performance of the Gallardo with the convenience and comfort of a sedan. "With our existing cars, there is day-to-day usability, but they are not used every day," company president Stephan Winkelmann told AutoWeek. "Most of them are used for less than 5,000 kilometers a year. This car is something different. It’s for every day use."

The Estoque — the name refers to the sword matadors use to kill bulls — is the first four-door to roll out of Sant’Agata since the company built the abominable Portofino for the Frankfurt auto show in 1987. Whereas the Porotfino looked like a Chrysler with scissor doors, the Estoque looks like a Murcielago or Reventon with four doors. It’s all sharp angles and long lines, coming in at almost 17 feet long. Those 23-inch wheels are nearly 10 feet apart. Unlike the Gallardo and Murcielago, the all-wheel-drive Estoque carries its engine just behind the front axle. Lamborghini claims the car’s weight distribution approaches 50-50, providing "unparalleled agility and handling precision."

So what about that engine? Sant’Agata says "a range of drivelines is conceivable." Topping the list of possibilities is the 520-horsepower V10 from the Gallardo or a twin-turbo V8 derived from it. But then things get interesting, with Lamborghini saying, "a particularly economical, but nevertheless dynamic, variation would be a V8 with a hybrid module or an extremely high-performance TDI."

Both options not only make sense, they’re entirely feasible. Lamborghini is owned by Audi, which is actively pursuing hybrid drivetrains in vehicles like the Q5 SUV and the A1 concept it’s bringing to Paris. Audi also has loads of experience with diesels, dominating LeMans with the R10 racer and wowing the crowd in Detroit with the 500-horsepower R8 TDI.

Winkelmann says the Estoque is a running prototype and the company could sell 2,000 to 3,000 of them if it goes into production in 2010. That would double the number of cars Lamborghini sold last year and let it compete against the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera. Which, by the way, may come with a hybrid drivetrain.